Research

The biggest research element of training is conducting a major piece of research which is written up as a 25,000 word thesis. This research is begun in the second half of the 1st year, when trainees have a teaching module on research design and are encouraged to start thinking about research ideas. Trainees have individual meetings with staff in the summer of their first year to help develop their ideas. Most trainees use quantitative methods though some do use qualitative methods. The key principle is that the research should be question driven, the methodology chosen being the one that best answers the question. Trainees are strongly encouraged to publish their theses, and we have a good record in this area (Trainee publications). Part of this success is probably due to the fact that in the time between submission (July) and viva (September) trainees are required to write a research paper based on their thesis, for which they are given research time.

Trainees also complete a smaller scale (4,000 word) piece of research on one of their placements, which they also write up as part of the Course requirements. There is a strong emphasis on service-relevance rather than publishability for this piece of research.

There is a Research Design Assessment and a Practical Statistics Assessment for which trainees are prepared by teaching modules designed to equip them with the relevant knowledge and skills. Other teaching sessions (e.g., gaining ethical approval, how to write a thesis) support the requirements of the thesis.